Podcasts

Helen Vatsikopoulos (panel chair), a Walkley Award winning journalist. George Megalogenis, author, journalist and a regular panelist on ABC TV's The Insiders. Phil Kafcaloudes, Australian writer, journalist and broadcaster who previously hosted international breakfast show on the ABC’s Radio Australia network. Peter Manning has had a distinguished 30-year career in journalism including serving as Head of ABC Radio National (1993-5) and head of ABC Television News and Current Affairs (1989-92). Jorge Sotirios has travelled the globe as travel journalist covering the Arts, the Environment, Politics and Culture and has written for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Literary Review.

A forum with leading international reporters looks at how the Australian media cover major crises at home and overseas.

In MArch 2014, the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change has released the 5th Assessment Report of Working Group II, responsible for considering human adaptation to climate change. In the sobering, state-of-the-art assessment of how forecasts of climate change might affect global food systems, key assumptions about the interactions between climate change, agricultural production and the broader food system remain subject to considerable doubt. Three speakers will address this important set of issues

Professor Sharon Kilbreath is a Professor of Physiotherapy in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney and a National Breast Cancer Foundation Research Fellow. Sally Crossing Sally Crossing AM is living well with advanced breast cancer, having been first diagnosed in 1995. She founded and chaired the Breast Cancer Action Group from 1997, and Cancer Voices, the generic voice of people affected by cancer, from 2000.

Professor Sharon Kilbreath and Ms Sally Crossing have a lot of things in common, but perhaps the most striking is their refusal to accept the status quo. When both women were diagnosed with breast cancer more than15 years ago, they discovered a significant gap in the knowledge and understanding of life after surgery and a lack of a united voice for cancer patients. This drove them to become leaders in their respective fields of research and consumer advocacy.

Sydney Ideas with the Department of Philosophy and the Sydney Intellectual History Network at the University of Sydney

Artist:

Professor Robert B. Pippin, Evelyn Stefansson Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought, the Department of Philosophy, and the College at the University of Chicago

In his Berlin lectures on fine art in the 1820s, Hegel claimed that the fine arts had become a “thing of the past” no longer an important vehicle of human self-knowledge. American philosopher Robert Pippin asks how Hegel would have responded to the Modernism of the late 19th century.

Sydney Ideas with the Graduate School of Government in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science

Artist:

Gus O’Donnell, former head of the UK Civil Service, Chair of the Behavioural Insights advisory board and Chair of the Independent Commission on Wellbeing and Policy, UK

Earlier this year, an independent Commission on Wellbeing and Policy published a report that explains the concept of wellbeing and suggests how it can improve policymaking. In this Sydney Ideas lecture, the Chair of the Commission, Gus O’Donnell will review its findings and discuss some of its implications for policy making, especially in human and social services. The lecture will also explore the relationship between wellbeing, measures of wellbeing and the use of behavioural economics as a key policy instrument.

Sydney Ideas with the Arts and Creative Education Research Network (ACERN) in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney

Artist:

Dr Michael Anderson (panel chair), an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. Tom Alegounarias, President of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES). Rob Carlton, a Silver Logie winning actor. Andrea Connell, the Principal of Sydney Girls High School. Professor Robyn Ewing, Professor of Teacher Education and the Arts and Acting ProDean in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. Professor Julianne Schultz, founding editor of Griffith REVIEW. Tamara Winikoff, Executive Director, at the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA).

If research demonstrates that students who engage in an active, demanding, high-quality arts education are more likely to excel in their academic and non-academic lives, why has the recent review of the Australian Curriculum recommended reducing arts learning in our schools?

Sydney Ideas with the Cities Network, Sydney Environment Institute and the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney

Artist:

William Fox, Director of the Center for Art + Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada

Brandscape, a term coined by anthropologist John Sherry in 1986, refers both to the blizzard of commercial identities to which we’re exposed everyday, and to what happens when brands manifest in constellations that actually shape the physical environment. Think of Times Square in New York City or the Ginza in Tokyo as extreme examples in the built environment. Increasingly, public entities such as national and local governments are using public artworks from land art to street art to create social cohesion, increase tourism, and attract new businesses. How supportive, skeptical, critical and accepting should we be of this new effort to manipulate our experience of built and natural environments?

Professor Andrew McLachlan, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the University of Sydney

Have you ever bought a pain reliever that ‘targets’ specific pain? Can pain relievers really target a part of the body? Are ‘natural’ medicines or supplements always better or safer than prescription drugs?
Turns out, a lot of what we “know” about over-the-counter or prescription medicines isn’t true – and in a world where drugs have the capacity to heal or harm us, separating fact from fiction can be life-saving.
Professor Andrew McLachlan, a pharmacist and noted researcher with a special interest in the appropriate use of medicines, addresses several important and widely-believed myths about medications.

Sydney Ideas with the Laureate Research Program in International History at the University of Sydney and History@UWS

Artist:

Professor A G Hopkins, Emeritus Smuts Professor of Commonwealth History at the University of Cambridge

Globalisation envelopes the world – and historians too. The 'g' word is now mandatory in titles of history books and articles. Professor A G Hopkins from Cambridge University, one of the most influential interpreters of British imperial expansion, looks at the current state of globalisation studies.

Professor Whitney Davis, Professor of History and Theory of Ancient and Modern Art, University of California at Berkeley

Professor Whitney Davis addresses one of the most well-established and influential ideas about prehistoric pictorial representation - the idea that the original makers and beholders of these cave images did not take them as pictures but considered them as “things themselves”. How do we reconcile this idea with the visible activity of mark-making and of “painterliness”? What is the nature of this pictorial "illusion"?

Dr Alana Mann (panel chair), a senior lecturer in the Department of Media and Communications. Associate Professor Robyn Alders, Faculty of Veterinary Science and the Charles Perkins Centre and a Director of the KYEEMA Foundation. Fyfe Strachan, Food Justice Program Coordinator at Oxfam Australia.

At a global level, the people who produce most of the world’s food – smallholder farmers – are also the people who suffer the most food and nutrition insecurity. Why is this so? And what needs to happen to make smallholder agriculture more nutrition-sensitive? In this seminar, three University of Sydney experts from different areas – public health, veterinary science and human geography – review the problem of food and nutrition insecurity among smallholder communities of the developing world.

As the burden of mental health disorders increases among young people, a major question is whether we can use new technologies to support high quality mental health care for more people at low cost. For many teenagers this might mean that such active technologies, such as smart phone apps, will replace counselling and other low-intensity interventions. The use of these technologies may assist to bring care to those who do not want to engage with traditional forms of clinical care or those who are excluded by geography, disability or socio-economic status.

Sydney Ideas with the Balanced Enterprise Research Network (BERN) at the Sydney Environment Institute

Artist:

Professor Lesley Hughes, Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University. Professor Manfred Lenzen, Professor of Sustainability Research in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney.

Many scientists believe we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event in the Earth’s history. Two of the country’s leading researchers on biodiversity decline explore this critical topic from environmental and economic perspectives.

In the lead up to the OECD G20 Leaders Summit we are delighted to welcome Gabriela Ramos, OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20. She will underline the economic dimension and imperative of reducing the gender gap and enhancing the role of women in economies and societies at large.

One of Australia’s highest profile media executives Kim Williams talks about the enduring impact of arts education on his life and advances a strong case for the primacy of music education from a young age. "Music is a bedrock for good thinking," says Williams.

Sydney Ideas with the School of Biologocal Sciences, Faculty of Science

Artist:

Professor Justin O’Riain, University of Cape Town

When humans are either on the menu, or being forced to share it, our response to conflict with animals reveals a recent evolutionary history as both a food source and a fearsome competitor. A behavioural ecologist explores how humans and wildlife species are adjusting to life in the Anthropocene.

Professor Kate White, Professor of Nursing at Sydney Nursing School, the University of Sydney

Cancer does not occur in a vacuum - it has a major impact on family, friends and colleagues. When a parent has cancer, the whole family experiences cancer. For a parent, there are many questions to answer. How much, and what to tell the children is a frequent concern. Do young children need different information to teenagers? What do we know about how children really feel regarding a cancer experience in the family? Professor Kate White answers these quations.

The potential for new viruses to cause large-scale human death and disease has inspired often frightening and sometimes fantastic tales, with a blurry distinction between fact and fiction. It is therefore no surprise that determining the origins of viral pandemics, as well as how best to prevent and control them, is one of the major challenges facing modern medical science. In this presentation, biosecurity and infectious diseases expert, Professor Edward Holmes addresss the risks of a new pandemic, its most likely origin and what scientists are doing to prevent and minimise these deadly threats.

Sydney Ideas with the Clean Energy and Intelligent Networks Cluster in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies

Artist:

Dr Jonathon Trent, NASA Scientist

NASA scientist Jonathon Trent discusses OMEGA, a life support system that makes biofuels from algae, cleans and recycles wastewater, provides electricity from water-cooled solar arrays, and expands food production using aquaculture.

Panelists: Kelly Dent, Economic Justice Coordinator at Oxfam Australia. Larry Jackson, Managing Director, Asia Pulp and Paper, Oceania. Martijn Wilder AM, head of Global Environmental Markets practice at Baker McKenzie and a Director and Governor of WWF. Professor Christopher Wright, University of Sydney Business School and Business Enterprise Research Newtork (BERN), whose research explores individual, organizational and societal responses to anthropogenic climate change. Professor Nick Rowley (panel chair), Adjunct Professor at the Sydney Democracy Network and former advisor on sustainability and climate change to British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

As part of the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre ASEAN Forum we present a public event focusing on issues of sustainability in Southeast Asia. What role do business, civil society and government play in sustainable economic growth in the region? A panel of NGOs and industry leaders explain how they are working together, especially in the forestry sector.

Andrew Campbell, a senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Young people aged 12–25 are the highest at-risk group for experiencing mental health problems. They are also the group most likely to look for help and support online. Using the internet for social networking is their haven – but is it safe, reliable and helpful? Andrew Campbell from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Tracy Adams from Boystown discuss the issue.

Joy Damousi, Professor of History University of Melbourne and author of 'Living with the Aftermath: trauma, nostalgia and grief in post-war Australia'. Professor Stephen Garton, Provost and Deputy Chancellor University of Sydney and author of 'Cost of War' which looks at war and repatriation. Associate Professor Julia Horne, the University Historian and co-organiser of 'Beyond 1914 – The University of Sydney and the Great War'. Brad Manera, an expert on war and memorials and Executive Manager of the ANZAC Memorial, Hyde Park. Associate Professor Mark McKenna, ARC Future Fellow in the Department of History University of Sydney and author of 'Eye for Eternity'. Kerry Neale, Curator at the Australian War Memorial. Dr Tamson Pietsch, author of 'Empires of Scholars' and an ARC DECRA Fellow in School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry University of Sydney.

An expert panel on 'War, Death and Memory' with leading Australian historians explores consequences of the Grear War on individual lives and the national psyche. The panel discussion marked the launch of the new University of Sydney 'BEYOND 1914' website, an interactive biographical database of students, staff and alumni who served in the First World War.

Professor Raewyn Connell, University Chair, Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney

Professor Raewyn Connell (University Chair, Faculty of Education and Social Work) gives her ‘last lecture’ celebrating 43 years of groundbreaking teaching and research, and a body of work that has reshaped the study of sociology.
Professor Connell is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a recipient of the American Sociological Association's award for distinguished contribution to the study of sex and gender, and of the Australian Sociological Association's award for distinguished service to sociology in Australia. Her teaching fields have included general sociology, social theory, sociology of education, gender relations, sexuality, and research methods. Connell's work is widely cited in social science and humanities publications internationally. Four of her books were listed among the 10 most influential books in Australian sociology and she is frequently invited to give keynote addresses at conferences and seminars, including events in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Senegal and Britain.

Associate Professor Margaret Allman-Farinelli, School of Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science. Associate Professor Robyn McConchie, Head of Department, Plant and Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment. Dr Brian Jones, Dept of Plant and Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture and the Environment.

Despite health promotion programs to increase fruit and vegetable intake only half of us eat 2 serves of fruit daily, and the recommended 5 serves of vegetables per day is met by less than 10%. What are some new approaches to encouraging more consumption?

Venerable Bhante Mahinda (a Buddhist monk) and Professor James Doty (founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University).

Does science now prove that the way to happiness is to practice compassion, as the Dalai Lama states? James Doty from Stanford University and Buddhist monk Bhante Mahinda discuss how 21st century science and ancient contemplative practice are learning from each other.

Dr Elise Baker, lecturer and speech pathologist with the Discipline of Speech Pathology at the University of Sydney. Dr Bronwyn Hemsley, speech pathologist with the Discipline of Speech Pathology at the University of Newcastle.

For an estimated 1.1 million Australians living with a communication disorder, communication is a daily source of frustration. With the right help at the right time these people’s lives could be transformed. Two speech pathologists explore what we can do to ensure that children with speech disorders have access to the help they need, so their basic human right to communicate is upheld.

Sydney Ideas with the Biopolitics of Science Research Network and the Network for Bodies, Organs and Tissues at the University of Sydney

Artist:

Professor Nikolas Rose, Professor of Sociology and Head of the Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine at King’s College London.

How do different forms of urban life get ‘under our skin’ shaping our bodies, souls and mental states? Prominent British sociologist Nikolas Rose considers some recent work in the neurosciences and its potential to revitalize sociology of urban experience.

Professor Daniel Garber, Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University

It was common to refer to the period in the history of science roughly from Copernicus to Newton as the Scientific Revolution. Professor Daniel Garber from Princeton University argues that the political analogy behind the idea of a scientific revolution is singularly inappropriate, and what really happened in the period was the eclipse of the idea that we need a single scientific orthodoxy.

Professor Tony Aspromourgos is Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Professor Tony Aspromourgos provides an overview of the man and the scope and content of his famous book, followed by five reflections on the significance and meaning of Smith’s thought in relation to: his originality; the character of social science; Smith’s economic theory today; the question of inequality; and policy in relation to theory.

Sydney Ideas with the School of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Artist:

Assoc Professor Jennifer Alix-Garcia, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Between 2000 and 2010, the earth lost more than 5 million hectares of forest per year. Professor Alix-Garcia explores current research on the economics of land use change and policy innovations to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation.

Professor Anthony Grafton from Princeton University is one of the foremost historians of early modern Europe and the cultural history of Renaissance Europe. He discusses his recent research into how modern scholars and artists have recast the story of Jesus’s last meal as a Christian event.

Wasted food represents a burden on our environmental resources that we can’t afford, and loss of product that could be made available for those in need. A panel of academics and NGOs build our understanding about the values of the foods we eat.

Advances in life sciences and biotechnology offer the potential to improve quality of life for all. However, the scientific base that makes these benefits possible can be subverted to do harm. Gerald Epstein of the US Department of Homeland Security discusses this dual-use dilemma in the life sciences.

Sydney Ideas with the Human Animal Research Network (HARN) and the Sydney Environment Institute

Artist:

Professor Will Kymlicka, Canadian Research Chair in Political Philosophy, Queen’s University

Should we consider animals when we imagine social justice? While there have been some improvements in welfare and public awareness of animal suffering, political philosophers are now looking at how we might construct societies to provide social justice towards animals.

Peter Rose, Editor of Australian Book Review and Catriona Menzies-Pike, arts editor of The Conversation. In conversation with Michael Visontay, Editor of the University of Sydney alumni magazine, SAM

With a proliferation of bloggers and various other reader–reviewers, is there still a role for 'expert' art journalism? Are readers still willing to pay for discerning art reviews? A panel of cultural journalists discusses the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Professor Stephen Gardiner, Professor of Philosophy and Ben Rabinowitz Endowed Professor of Human Dimensions of the Environment, University of Washington

Is geoengineering – the intentional manipulation of the planetary environment in the face of escalating climate change – a necessary evil or ethically short-sighted? Leading environmental ethicist, Professor Stephen Gardiner, will discuss the philosophical implications of dramatic global techno-fixes

Professor Barbara Caine AM, Professor of History and Head of the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry at the University of Sydney

Key Texts series of talks invites leading University of Sydney academics to discuss a text that has influenced their way of thinking. In this lecture, Professor Barbara Caine from the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry discusses Nelson Mandela's bestselling autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, a complex text that was long in the making: copied, hidden and smuggled out of prison and completed once Mandela was free with the aid of Richard Stengel, probably the most talented ghost writer of all time!

Sydney Ideas with the program Inventing the International in the Laureate Research Program in International History, and the Sydney Intellectual History Network (SIHN)

Artist:

Professor Samuel Moyn, Professor of Law and History at Harvard University

Why was the invention of the idea of 'global justice' in the 1970s, a sharp break from the theory of the social contract? Leading human rights scholar, Professor Samuel Moyn from Columbia University, traces the origins of the philosophy of global justice and examines where it stands now. Are the very principles the new philosophy global justice proclaims, further from reality than ever?

Sydney Ideas with the Laureate Research Program in International History and the United States Studies Centre, the University of Sydney

Artist:

Professor Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History, University College London

Has there in fact been an Anglo-American special relationship since 1945? If so, what is it? Has it benefitted either country? And if it exists, will it continue to do so? Specialist in the history of Anglo-American and Anglo-European relations, Professor Kathleen Burk from University College London, assesses the uses and abuses of the relationship by both countries.

Sydney Ideas with the Social Policy Research Network in the Faculty of Education and Social Work

Artist:

Professor Lena Dominelli, Durham University, UK

Can social work uphold a commitment to equality, human rights, and indigenous perspectives without costing the Earth? Professor Lena Dominelli from Durham University, UK discusses social workers’ challenging transformative route; their resistance of powerful vested interests, such as multinational corporations and rich individuals engaged in pillaging the earth’s human and physical resources.

Sydney Ideas with the Association of Iberian and Latin American Studies of Australasia

Artist:

Professor Kathryn Crameri, University of Glasgow

Civil pro-independence groups in Catalonia have become increasingly sophisticated in their use of new technologies to raise awareness of the Catalan independence movement. Professor Kathryn Crameri from University of Glasgow explores the importance of internet activism and social media for the civil sectors of this movement.

Peter Park is an American urban design and planning expert who specialises in innovative solutions that balance development needs with unique context, site, and design quality concerns. In this lecture he discusse importance of involving the inhabitants into the designing of a city.

Sydney Ideas with the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies in the School of Languages and Culture

Artist:

H.A. Hellyer, Anthony Bubalo, Lucia Sorbera, and David Hardaker

Has the 2011 Egyptian revolution changed the relationship between the people and political power in the Arab world and how did it impact its cultural and intellectual sphere? H.A. Hellyer (Brookings Institute), Anthony Bubalo (Lowy Institute), and Lucia Sorbera (The University of Sydney) share their views, personal experiences and expertise on the present and future of the region. They speak with award-winning Middle East correspondent David Hardaker.

Author Tara Moss on molded gender narratives, toxic silences, and damaging stereotypes. In conversation with Professor Elspeth Probyn and a fellow PhD candidate in the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney, Paul Priday.

Crippled by economic problems, political brinkmanship and institutional rigidity, the EU faces an increasingly uncertain future. A leading scholar of European politics, Jan Zielonka from the University of Oxford, argues that although the EU will only survive in modest form, Europe as an integrated entity will grow stronger.

Like the ABC, many public service media outlets around the world are under pressure, with growing political hostility, economic uncertainty, stuttering online development, and a nerve-racking lack of investments. How gloomy is the future of Public Service Broadcasting? A panel of visiting and local academics look at the trends.

The keynote address in the international conference Crowns and Colonies: Monarchies and Colonial Empires hosted by Sydney Ideas and the Department of History

Artist:

Professor Miles Taylor, Director of the Institute of Historical Research, University of London

By the time of her diamond jubilee in 1897, Queen Victoria had become one of the most iconic and recognisable figures of her age, or indeed any other. Professor Miles Taylor describes when, why and how the British royal family became an imperial and then a Commonwealth phenomenon.

After the dauphin Louis-Charles, the son and heir of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette died in prison in 1795, rumours spread that he was still alive. When many imposters subsequently came forward, paintings, prints and photographs were used as primary standard of proof. Richard Taws from University College London considers the authenticating agency attributed to images.

Sydney Ideas with the Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney

Artist:

Professor John Bodel, Department of Classics, Brown University

How did nearly 3,500 Greek and Latin inscriptions find their way from the classical Mediterranean into American universities and museums; more than half in the years 1890 to 1915? Classics scholar, John Bodel from Brown University, explains the shaping of the ‘American epigraphic collection’.

Dr Anna Neistat, Associate Director for Program and Emergencies at Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch Associate Director for Program and Emergencies, Dr Anna Neistat discusses the current situation in Ukraine, the role of Russia and the climate of propaganda, of the kind not seen since Soviet times.

Michael Anderson, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney; Dr Julie Dunn, Associate Professor and member of Griffith University's Applied Theatre team; Robyn Ewing, Professor of Teacher Education and the Arts and Acting ProDean, Faculty of Education and Social Work; Dr Kelly Freebody, lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney; Dr Miranda Jefferson, Teaching Educator in challenging pedagogy with the Catholic Education Office Parramatta Diocese.

A panel of researchers and practitioners from a range of art disciplines explore how they teach creativity and give practical examples of what works best in the classroom.

Michael Anderson, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney; Ruth Barcan, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney; Lian Loke, Senior Lecturer in the Design Lab, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney; Dr Leigh Stepheson, researcher at the Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, a cross-disciplinary research centre at the University of Sydney

Four University of Sydney academics from very diverse disciplines discuss how creativity underpins their teaching and research into cultural studies, arts education, microscopy, and interactive technology design.

I’m Not Racist, But… is an interactive forum that aims to generate an open discussion around racism in Australia through the personal reflections and perspectives of four diverse and creative Australians. This year our topic explored the theme of ‘Racism and Free Speech’.

The Chinese internet is an incredibly different and dynamic space, where rich creative work is developed, opinions are exchanged, and new relationships are built every day. China's Weibo, a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, has nearly 600 million users. A social entrepreneur Julien Leyre takes us on introductory journey through the key platforms of the Chinese internet.

Einstein's theory of general relativity was one of the most difficult to crack in all of science. How did a 29 year old from New Zealand, Roy Kerr, solve the great riddle in 1963, and came to make his breakthrough discovery that astronomers and astrophysicists still use today? Fulvio Melia, Professor of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Mathematics at the University of Arizona explains.

Good conversation is a rewarding and important part of social interaction. Professor Leanne Togher from the Faculty of Health Sciences shares her research into teaching people with brain injury the art and science of conversation, and shows how basic principles can benefit all who seek the rewards of satisfying conversation with the people close to them.

Sydney Ideas with the Laureate Research Program in International History, the University of Sydney

Artist:

Professor Matthew Connelly, Columbia University

Millions of secret documents are piling up, or being destroyed or deleted, raising doubts about how we will be able to access classified information in the future. Historians are now teaming up with data scientists to analyse the documents that are being released...

Sydney Ideas with the School of Philosophical and Historial Inquiry (SOPHI) and the School of Letters, Art and Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Artist:

Professor Lynn Meskell, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Archaeology Center at Stanford University.

UNESCO’s 1972 Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage is the only international instrument for safeguarding the world’s heritage. Professor Lynn Meskell, Director of the Stanford Archaeology Center, examines how emergent rights to the past are now being presented, promoted and prevented by select groups.

On the island of Sri Lanka landscapes are imbued with traces of sometimes contentious yet revelatory histories. Award-winning architect Channa Daswatte traces a personal journey with the history and landscape of his country.

The closing event for the Australian Association for Pacific Studies Conference OCEANSCAPES

Artist:

Dr Kate Fullagar, Senior Lecturer in Modern History at Macquarie University; Dr Christine Winter, ARC Future Fellow in REGS, University of Sydney; Professor Sean Brawley, Head of the Department of Modern History, Politics, and International Relations at Macquarie University; Dr Max Quanchi, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at the University of the South Pacific

Overshadowed substantially by the western front, the Pacific theatre of World War One has not yet attracted the scholarship it deserves. For this Sydney Ideas panel three researchers make a fascinating start on redressing the gap.

Professor Andrew McLachlan, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the University of Sydney

Have you ever bought a pain reliever that ‘targets’ specific pain? Can pain relievers really target a part of the body? Are ‘natural’ medicines or supplements always better or safer than prescription drugs?
Turns out, a lot of what we “know” about over-the-counter or prescription medicines isn’t true – and in a world where drugs have the capacity to heal or harm us, separating fact from fiction can be life-saving.
Professor Andrew McLachlan, a pharmacist and noted researcher with a special interest in the appropriate use of medicines, addresses several important and widely-believed myths about medications.

Once the most iconic creature in the English popular imaginary, today the badger is caught in the political cross-fire between farmers and conservationists. Leading animal rights scholar Professor Sarah J. Whatmore looks at the consequences.

Tom Szaky dropped out of Princeton University to found TerraCycle. Today his company collects and recycles over 100 different kinds of products that were considered 'non-recyclable' garbage, in over 24 different countries. In this Sydney Ideas presentation Tom details how by mimicking nature and focusing on the value inherent in our by-products, we can transform the waste we can’t avoid creating from useless trash to a useful resource.

In her first public appearance in Australia since Sombath’s disappearance, Shui Meng Ng talks about Sombath Somphone, the man and his work, the contextual background that could have caused his disappearance, and the impact this incident has on Lao society, and especially on Lao civil society development.

Sydney Ideas and the School of Letters, Art and Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, at the University of Sydney

Artist:

Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver writes big, feelingful, socially and emotionally engaged novels of everyday horror, perversion and compulsion in the tradition of Flaubert and Wharton. This is an exclusive Sydney conversation between Lionel and University of Sydney academic and poet, Associate Professor Kate Lilley

This is the age of the anthropocene. A controversial term that is resisted by some and embraced by others, this Sydney Ideas event explores the social and political potential of the term. Three separate talks consider concepts of hope, justice and sight in this unprecedented epoch. Surrender to human domination of the natural world.

Geoff Mulgan, Chief Executive of the National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts, UK

More than five years after the financial crisis the world is still struggling to make sense of what went wrong and what needs to be done. Geoff Mulgan sets out what new political settlements might look like – reshaping how the economy is organised, as well as the very nature of government.

Professor Ullrich Steiner, Physics of Materials, University of Cambridge

In this lecture Professor Dirk Matten examines the history of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and looks at three important questions. Why has it emerged? What has it really achieved? And, what is the future of corporate engagement with societal needs?

In this lecture Professor Dirk Matten examines the history of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and looks at three important questions. Why has it emerged? What has it really achieved? And, what is the future of corporate engagement with societal needs?

Mary Czerwinski, Research Manager of the Visualization and Interaction (VIBE) Research Group at Microsoft Research

In this lecture Mary Czerwinski describes novel systems and applications her and her team are designing that perform mood detection and interventions in real time using mobile technology.They are exploring “sticky” user interface ideas to help users reflect on and manage their affective experiences

The passing of seminal Australian visual artist Jeffrey Smart in 2013 was marked by the University Art Gallery’s exhibition Recondita Armonia – Strange Harmonies of Contrast. Internationally renowned novelist, writer and curator of this exhibition David Malouf, famed film and opera director Bruce Beresford and novelist Virginia Duigan discuss their decades of friendship with the painter and the life of Australian artist expatriates in Tuscany.